Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc strengthened by one seat and now stands at 52 mandates, according to a Kan News poll published Sunday evening.

Likud rose to 22 seats, up from 21 in the previous poll. Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party fell to 21 from 22, while Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad dropped to 14 from 15.

The Democrats gained one seat following the party’s primaries and now stand at 10. Otzma Yehudit fell to nine, while Yisrael Beytenu remained at nine. Shas and United Torah Judaism each held steady at eight seats.

Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am each received five seats. The Reservists party led by Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel remained at four seats, clearing the electoral threshold for the second consecutive week.

In the race for prime minister, Netanyahu and Eisenkot were nearly tied. Netanyahu received 39% support, compared with 38% for Eisenkot. Bennett received 31%.

The poll also found that 47% of respondents believe Netanyahu is motivated by personal and political considerations when dealing with security issues. Forty-one percent said Israel should avoid entering another military campaign against Iran.

Iran and Judea and Samaria were tied as the areas causing the greatest concern, with 34% naming each. Only 6% said Gaza was their main concern.

Among opposition voters, 40% said Bennett and Yair Lapid should not have united, while 34% supported the merger.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)